Summary: There are 16 candidates in Ecuador’s presidential election scheduled for Feb. 7, but polls suggest voters aren’t too excited about any of them. Whoever they settle on will have to work overtime to manage a country battered by a pandemic and a fiscal crisis. Political analyst Sebastián Hurtado joins the podcast to assess the country’s outlook and the leading presidential candidates, including a protégé of Former President Rafael Correa, the “incumbent” candidate who’s never been president, and the “outsider” who could surprise everyone. Guests: - Sebastián Hurtado is the co-founder and CEO of Prófitas, a political risk consultancy based in Quito. - Brian Winter is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly. Supplemental Reading: "Meet the Candidates: Ecuador" (https://americasquarterly.org/article/meet-the-candidates-ecuador/) "Who Is Andrés Arauz, Rafael Correa’s Pick to Lead Ecuador?" by Brendan O'Boyle (https://americasquarterly.org/article/andres-arauz-correa-proxy-or-new-leadership-for-ecuador/)
